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STScI is the Science Operations Center for Webb, Hubble, and the upcoming Roman space telescopes, & Mission Operations Center for Webb. We help humanity explore the universe with advanced space telescopes and data archive. news.stsci.edu
Technicians have completed the construction of #NASARoman at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
The mission will revolutionize our understanding of the universe with its deep, crisp, sweeping views of space: https://go.nasa.gov/4rZZnYg
I can't say enough about #JWST (which I'd link if they had an account?) and the folks at @stsci.edu, who made the faintest-ever observations of a solar system object a breeze, using only about 5 hours of integration on each of two observing sessions. 2/
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a Senior Data Platform Engineer to help manage the backend data pipelines, and ensure high-performance, reliable data access for our advanced astronomical public data archive: https://bit.ly/3N0T1sg
Two galaxies side by side. The galaxy at the top left appears smaller in size and is a bright glowing spiral with clearly defined arms. A larger blue galaxy dominates the full right two-thirds. This galaxy is more irregularly shaped, with a glowing central bar, and varying regions of concentrated hues of blue. The background of space is black with various stars and galaxies in the distance.
The galaxy on the left in this Hubble image is actually larger! The dimmer galaxy in Arp 4 is 65 million light-years from Earth, while the bright one lies 675 million light-years away! It’s determined that the further galaxy is much larger. Credit: NASA/ESA.
#NASAWebb has revolutionized our ability to study the formation and growth of new planetary systems, some with similarities to our own.
On March 18 (7 p.m. ET), join us for a conversation on what we’ve learned about young planetary systems and their supply of ingredients needed for life.
How does the TRAPPIST-1 system tie into the broader story of exoplanets? ➡️ go.nasa.gov/4sp8fGC (5/5)
Will Webb be able to search for signs of life in the TRAPPIST-1 system? ➡️ go.nasa.gov/4s8yaTj (4/5)
Artist’s concept titled “TRAPPIST-1 System” showing a section of the red dwarf host star at the bottom and seven circles vertically aligned and labeled b to h from bottom to top against a solid black background. A half circle on the bottom represents the host star, TRAPPIST-1, which has a bright orange mottled surface with flares that extend outward. Artist’s concepts for the planets b, c, d, and e are encased in their respective circles, indicating that scientists have reported on their Webb observations for these planets. Planets b and c have brighter circles around them to indicate that scientists have more confidence in their interpretation, while the circles around d and e are fainter to indicate the data is still under study. Planets f, g, and h are depicted as circles with white dashed lines. A question mark is in each of these three circles to indicate that the atmospheric statuses of these planets are still to be determined as the Webb data continues to be analyzed.
What has Webb revealed about the TRAPPIST-1 system and its planets? And what do we still not know? ➡️ go.nasa.gov/4u9fSTa (3/5)
Graphic titled “TRAPPIST-1 System Versus The Solar System, Orbit Comparison.” The inner solar system is at left and labeled “Inner Solar System.” The Sun is depicted as a bright white circle. 4 planets' orbital paths are labeled: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. 2 lines extend from between the Sun and Mercury to an overlay of the TRAPPIST-1 system at right. 7 rings, representing the orbital paths of the 7 planets, surround the star. They are labeled starting with b, the closest planet to the star, and ending with h, the planet farthest away. Obital areas of planets b, c, and d are shaded red, signifying they are too close to be in the host star’s habitable zone. Orbital areas of planets e, f, and g are green, signifying they are in the area where conditions are just right for liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface. The green area is labeled “Habitable Zone.” Orbital area of planet h is blue to indicate the planet is too far away to be in the host star’s habitable zone.
Why is TRAPPIST-1 interesting? How are scientists using Webb to learn about the planets? ➡️ go.nasa.gov/4aY09Pr (2/5)
Artist’s concept of the TRAPPIST-1 system, which is known to have seven Earth-sized rocky planets orbiting a red dwarf star. The host star, located in the background, is depicted as a bright white circle. It is surrounded by a yellow glow that fades to orange near the edges of the frame. The seven planets appear in the foreground, with their nightsides, the side facing away from the host star, facing the viewer. The planets are depicted as red-brown spheres. Many distant galaxies and stars faintly appear in the background. Text in bottom left corner reads “Artist’s Concept.
What is the James Webb Space Telescope revealing about the TRAPPIST-1 system? ➡️ go.nasa.gov/4cnluTm 🔭 🧪
More about TRAPPIST-1 in this 🧵. (1/5)
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a JWST Deputy Project Manager to support the JWST Project Manager and Mission Head in managing the JWST Science and Operations Center: https://bit.ly/3PcdCKE
Learning about the TRAPPIST-1 system—an environment composed of seven rocky planets orbiting a red dwarf star—has been an ongoing endeavor. And now #NASAWebb is expanding the scientific story in exciting and new ways: https://bit.ly/4kH9X3i
A nebula appears like a transparent bubble with a white edge, inside which are two hemispheres of orange clouds being blown out from the center, split by a dark vertical lane, giving the overall appearance of a see-through skull with a brain inside, as seen from above. A few stars appear with eight points, and small background galaxies can be seen around and through the outer bubble.
Astronomers are losing their minds over #NASAWebb’s latest images of the very brainy-looking nebula PMR 1. Its distinctive form is the result of a dying star expelling its outer layers: https://news.stsci.edu/4tVQccE 🔭 🧪
A globular star cluster. Numerous stars are spread throughout on a black background. Many appear as fuzzy blue and orange orbs. Scattered throughout are far smaller stars appearing as white and orange dots. These stars are concentrated in the center, but grow more spread out further away.
The blue stars within globular cluster NGC 6397 have used up their hydrogen fuel, and are now fusing helium, which fuses at higher temperatures, giving them their blue color—as seen in this Hubble image: https://bit.ly/4tsl7wU
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a Senior Finance & Grants Analyst to support financial and operational efficiency across NASA-funded research programs, including Hubble, James Webb, and future missions: https://bit.ly/4rM6p2A
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a Senior Full Stack Engineer to join the Web Application Services Branch, performing software development, support and maintenance of applications and processes to our NASA missions: https://bit.ly/4l9HF1Q
Side-by-side images of the same nebula show how differently it appears in near-infrared, on the left, versus mid-infrared light, on the right. Left image is labeled NIRCam and the right is labeled MIRI. In near-infrared, the nebula’s outer bubble has a white edge and its inner clouds are orange, with a distinct dark lane cutting vertically through the center. Stars and background galaxies appear around the nebula and through the outer bubble. In mid-infrared, the outer bubble has a bluish tint and there is more material in the inner clouds, which are colored off-white. The vertical dark lane is still present but more interrupted and covered by the clouds. Material appears to be erupting out the top of the nebula, and this effect is mirrored to a lesser degree at the bottom, opposite end.
ICYMI: Astronomers are losing their minds over #NASAWebb’s latest images of the very brainy-looking nebula PMR 1. Its distinctive form is the result of a dying star expelling its outer layers: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-examines-cranium-nebula/ 🔭 🧪
A tiny portion of the Rosette Nebula. Very dark gray material shaped like a shark’s fin extends from just below top left all the way down to the lower right corner and back up toward the top right. It looks like thick smoke that has billowed out irregularly, thicker along the line from top left to bottom right. Behind the dark gray on the left side, from the bottom left to top center, there are streaks that appear light orange and yellow. The background at top left is hazier and some blues are covered in semi-transparent orange wisps, which makes sections take on green hues. In the bottom right, the background is bluer. There are a few bright red and purple stars scattered along the right half, mostly toward the bottom. The largest star is at right-center, just at the edge. It is red and has four diffraction spikes.
In 2024, #Hubble observed a portion of the Rosette Nebula—a vast star-forming region located 5,200 light-years away. Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and dark clouds of dust contribute to this mesmerizing scene, which is four light-years long: https://bit.ly/4rndjuB
Los astrónomos que utilizan el telescopio espacial Hubble de la NASA han fotografiado el disco protoplanetario más grande que se haya observado alrededor de una estrella joven.
A spiral galaxy with a bright supermassive black hole. The galaxy appears cloudy white with orange-red regions filled with stars that spiral outward from the bright center. A large eight-pronged diffraction pattern emanates from the central black hole. Many orange and red stars and galaxies are strewn about. The background of space is black.
Galaxy NGC 7469 has one of the most studied black holes in the universe. #NASAWebb’s resolution and sensitivity has made it easier to study the large amount of dust and compact nature of the region.
Credit: ESA, NASA, CSA.
“Braaains!” Like zombies on the hunt, the Spitzer and #NASAWebb infrared space telescopes went looking for brains in space and captured these uncanny images of nebula PMR 1. A dying star is creating the nebula by expelling its outer layers: https://go.nasa.gov/3MJuY0U
A nebula appears like a transparent bubble with a white edge, inside which are two hemispheres of orange clouds being blown out from the center, split by a dark vertical lane, giving the overall appearance of a see-through skull with a brain inside, as seen from above. A few stars appear with eight points, and small background galaxies can be seen around and through the outer bubble.
Astronomers are losing their minds over #NASAWebb’s latest images of the very brainy-looking nebula PMR 1. Its distinctive form is the result of a dying star expelling its outer layers: https://news.stsci.edu/4tVQccE 🔭 🧪
Astronomers have used #NASAWebb—most powerful infrared telescope to date—to search for brown dwarfs at very low masses in a nearby nebula that contains newborn stars.
Join Dr. Kevin Luhman (Penn State) for a discussion on the surprising aspect of these new brown dwarfs TONIGHT at 7 p.m. ET. 🔭
Webb Mission Operations Center: 😏
Subscribe to the Space Telescope Science Institute's YouTube channel to watch our collection of videos explaining fascinating concepts in astronomy! 📹 🔭 ⭐ #STScI #YouTube #astronomy
Asteroids, supernovae, and black holes...oh my! ☄️🌀
In a single image, Rubin will detect thousands of changes in the sky — from objects in our Solar System to exploding or pulsing stars and actively feeding supermassive black holes, as well as surprises we can't predict yet! 💥
🔭🧪
An image labeled “SN 2025 p h t in NGC 1637, Hubble W F C 3 2024 + Webb NIRCam 2024”. The majority of the image shows a face-on spiral galaxy speckled with myriad blue and red stars. The yellowish core of the galaxy forms a fuzzy oval tilted to the upper right. About halfway from the core to the edge of the image at about 4 o’clock, a small region is outlined with a white box. A shaded, nearly transparent white triangle extends to a pullout at upper right labeled “before explosion”, with short lines forming a crosshair that points to a red star at the center. Below this are three more square images, all with crosshairs at the same location. 1) Hubble August 2024, with nothing visible in the crosshairs, 2) Webb October 2024, with a red star in the crosshairs, 3) Hubble July 2025, with a blue supernova in the crosshairs.
A star has died! For the first time, astronomers have used #NASAWebb to identify which specific star exploded as a supernova. The star—located in galaxy NGC 1637—was a red supergiant surrounded by so much dust that it was invisible to Hubble: https://news.stsci.edu/4alt51V
An image labeled “SN 2025 p h t in NGC 1637, Hubble W F C 3 2024 + Webb NIRCam 2024”. The majority of the image shows a face-on spiral galaxy speckled with myriad blue and red stars. The yellowish core of the galaxy forms a fuzzy oval tilted to the upper right. About halfway from the core to the edge of the image at about 4 o’clock, a small region is outlined with a white box. A shaded, nearly transparent white triangle extends to a pullout at upper right labeled “before explosion”, with short lines forming a crosshair that points to a red star at the center. Below this are three more square images, all with crosshairs at the same location. 1) Hubble August 2024, with nothing visible in the crosshairs, 2) Webb October 2024, with a red star in the crosshairs, 3) Hubble July 2025, with a blue supernova in the crosshairs.
A star has died! For the first time, astronomers have used #NASAWebb to identify which specific star exploded as a supernova. The star—located in galaxy NGC 1637—was a red supergiant surrounded by so much dust that it was invisible to Hubble: https://news.stsci.edu/4alt51V
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for a Chief Engineer to deliver on the our goals and strategies to ensure that technical solutions are to be implemented to meet the current and future needs of all STScI missions and project: https://bit.ly/4c0SuRd
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is searching for an Enterprise Architect to be responsible for the alignment of the STScI's use of technology with the organization's missions, strategy, and processes: https://bit.ly/4aAshqg
